Page 38 of Teasing Her Grumpy Boss

You find it difficult to switch off from your job

When Lucy gothomein the early hours Daniel was lying on the sofa reading, waiting.

‘Have you eaten?’

She shook her head and glanced at the spotless kitchen. ‘Nor have you.’

‘Let’s get pizza.’ Instead of reaching for the phone, he reached for her instead. He tipped her head back and she opened her mouth and welcomed him with her tongue, her arms, the press of her pelvis against his.

He lifted away fractionally. ‘What do you want? Really want. And I don’t mean on your pizza.’

‘I want to come. I want you to make me come. I want you to come with me.’ She’d turned into a nymphomaniac just like that. She’d always craved freedom—rebelled against her family, her school, any form of authority. It was why she loved dancing. But that freedom was nothing on the freedom she’d found in his arms. The way she could be held but made to feel as if she were flying. It was a freedom that kept her chained to him. She needed to combat it—by seeing how far she could pushhim. ‘You phone the pizza. I’ll be back in a minute.’

His gaze hit on her cowboy hat the minute she came back into the room twirling it. His smile grew. ‘You want me to dress up as a cowboy?’

‘Oh, no. You’ve got it all wrong.’ She donned the hat at a rakish angle and pouted. ‘I’m the one who does the riding.’

He put on an appalling western accent. ‘Well, jump on, darlin’. This stallion is more than a little frisky—care to break him in?’

‘Actually, no, I was hoping for a wild ride.’

His brows shot up.

She walked towards him, letting her hips sway. ‘Ever done that, Daniel? Ever totally given up control? Ever just done what you wanted regardless of how crazy just because it felt too good not to?’

‘I thought I did that last night.’

‘I think you can do better.’

‘Do you now?’

‘Maybe. Can you, Daniel? Forget everything but how you feel? Can younotthink? That enough of a challenge for you?’

‘Not think? Trouble, if I was thinking, I wouldn’t be here right now.’

Her mouth softened in appreciation. If she were thinking she’d be out of here too. Instead the feeling was too good to ignore. ‘Dance with me.’

He took her in waltz hold and expertly span her around the room. She pushed him away, waggling her finger at him as if he were a naughty schoolboy. ‘You’re still in control, Daniel. I want you to lose it.’

He pulled her closer. ‘You know, you’re not that great at letting go either, Lucy. You’re too busy coming up with cutting comments and being all prickly.’

She stared up at him. There were reasons for the prickles. Good ones. Protective ones.

His eyes accused her. ‘You don’t want anyone to get too close.’

Well, he was as guilty of that as she was. And, yeah, she found it hard to trust people. Now the person she trusted least was herself. She wanted Daniel beyond belief but he couldn’t give her anything more than his body—and even that was only on short-term loan, so she had to do the protective thing more than ever.

‘Ever let go, Lucy? Ever not think?’

This wasn’t right—he wasn’t supposed to turn the tables.

‘On the dance floor.’

‘Okay.’ Wicked light flared in his eyes. ‘Danceforme.’

She stepped back from him, her smile of delight wide as she figured the way to rule him again. ‘You want me to strip too?’

‘I... um…’

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